


Jousting the Jabberwock

by Merfilly



Series: Slade Verse [3]
Category: DCU Animated
Genre: Alternate Universe, Mirror Universe, Multi, Star-crossed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-16
Updated: 2012-09-16
Packaged: 2017-11-14 09:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/514028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canary doesn't even get a chance to finish her recovery before the Crisis intensifies around them all and she must deal with both worlds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jousting the Jabberwock

**Author's Note:**

> Series originally begun in 2006 and sent through many revisions. Not backdated as I could not decide which revision applied best.
> 
> Characters mostly from Timm-verse JLU and Teen Titans GO! with comics to flesh out details.

The door to the hospital room opened, revealing a pair of visitors that could only be official. It had only been two days since she found consciousness, two days of brooding about her lot in life. Roy had called her often, usually just to check on her, or tell her how the others were. The last time he had called, she had actually told him not to call again, as she was considering checking herself out.

Her official visitors were Mr. Terrific and Steel, and she had the oddest sense that Steel did not feel up to dealing with his armor.

"Miss Lance," Mr. Terrific began, for the benefit of the nurse in ear range, just outside the door. "We do regret your injuries incurred during a Justice League activity, and have come to ask that you let us give you a tour of our satellite."

"You can drop it; Arsenal brought me here because they know me," Dinah told him, smiling at the theatrics, but it did not reach her eyes. "In Gotham, many people know who I am. I’m just too small fry and too unattached to go after." She glanced at Steel, her eyes narrowing as he was leaning against a wall. "What happened to you, Steel? You look…unwell."

"You can tell, through my armor?"

"I learned how to read body language at a young age." She indicated the chair for Mr. Terrific, and the small sofa bed for Steel. "Something has happened, hasn’t it?"

"More of the switching. We’ve been hard pressed to contain villains and retrieve heroes," Mr. Terrific explained. "Steel just came back."

"The disorientation is hard," she said.

"It seems to be getting worse, or else certain types are more adversely affected," Steel said. "Based off the bio patterns recorded of those who have returned."

"Types?" The petite blond slowly sat up, accepting Mr. Terrific’s help.

"We have a pattern for the switches now. People who have harmonic abilities, speed force taps, or sheer mental genius." Mr. Terrific was observing the woman he had seen brought back with severe internal damage less than a week prior as she proceeded to stand and walk into the lavatory, snagging her go-home clothes on the way.

"This hospital…"

"Is run for vigilantes, gang members, and other sorts who don’t want to necessarily apply ink to insurance forms," Canary finished. "They have a very high rate of reforming those sorts, too. We get to leave whenever we feel we can." She had kept the door open to keep talking, but was out of view of both men. She did have enough vanity to pause and look at the scars from the sword’s entry and scissoring, as well as the smaller, neater marks made by whomever had operated.

"Only in Gotham." Steel shook his head.

"The sister branch is in Bludhaven," Mr. Terrific supplied, having been aware of such operations. "Canary, you don’t have to leave now, though Superman would have preferred you were treated and convalescing at the Tower."

"I know. But this is my home, and Arsenal knew that."

"So did Batman. He defended Arsenal’s choice for you, backed up by G. A." Mr. Terrific watched her walk out, noting the barest winces of muscles bothering her as she did. "Steel, can you carry both of us?"

"Yes." They walked out, passing an older woman who merely shook her head at first.

"Miss Lance…" she began.

"I’ll be careful, Doctor Tompkins. My word on it." The vigilante smiled. "And I’ll send more flowers. Soon as I get back to work."

"One day, young lady," she counseled. "And I’ll have to clip an article to go by your mother’s."

"I’ll try very hard not to let that happen." The small woman walked between the two men, wrapping her hands around the arm of Terrific, for just a touch of support. She felt the most comfortable with the others like herself, the ones picking up the mantles of earlier generations, and Mr. Terrific knew it. He had met Canary during her short-lived association with Dr. Midnite, and respected her abilities as a fighter.

It took them a little while to get free of the clinic, then they did put on a public mask of escorting the ‘civilian’ Miss Lance to the local League Embassy. Steel made a comment that Gotham only had a teleporter so no one would have to use the Batcave in an emergency, a comment that earned a wry chuckle from his feminine companion.

`~`~`~`~`

Superman was the first to actually greet and warmly welcome Canary back to the Tower, but his exuberance failed him as she merely nodded and smiled politely. Batman was studying her again, having learned much through Nightwing about the nature of Canary’s newfound prowess, and her injuries. He was innately suspicious of all things not clearly defined in black and white, by his own definitions.

It was Green Arrow who caught her eye, holding a chair out for her at the big table for whatever this meeting would concern. She felt vaguely out of place in her tennis shoes, loose jeans, and sweater top, but a few other members here were also in civilians, indicating the meeting had been convened hastily.

"Black Canary, I had merely asked for a briefing, but I am thankful you are here to give it yourself," J’onn said, pressing just a moment on her public mind for a feeling of how she truly was. It made Black Canary realize this was a very grave problem if J'onn had come back from his soul-searching to lend a hand.

"They said there have been more switches, and that there are three types specifically being switched," she in turn said, to show what knowledge she had of what was going on.

"Yes." Green Lantern keyed a display, showing all known metahumans who fit the three classes targeted. Some had red boxes around their names, some had green, and some of both types had been highlighted. Canary surmised the coding was for villains, heroes, and having crossed the dimensions as Green Lantern began the briefing. She listened to it intently, hunching over the table some to ease the tight, burning pain in her middle where things were still knitting together.

The basic thought prevailing in the hero community was that some force or person was shifting these three types back and forth to ease some cosmic imbalance. The only problem was that it did not seem to be working, as the people were shifting quicker now, especially as the magic users and technical geeks were starting to monitor it and try to revert people quickly to their proper place.

"We’ll have our brains trying to figure out why, and what is the reasoning for these types going." Green Lantern turned to Black Canary. "Mr. Terrific has rigged special communications gear, and we would like you to be a liaison to the other side, trying to get them to focus on the problem and share their results. We’ve fitted a special holding cell for your alternate already."

Black Canary hesitated. She glanced at the calendar display and added up things in her head. Awake for two days, here in this world at least five prior to that, unconscious, and…two weeks there before Slade had sent her home to heal. She frowned at realizing just how badly she must have been hurt, but her eyes met Green Lantern’s the next instant.

"Very well, Green Lantern. I accept, if I can get Zatanna or Dr. Fate to help me with the small problem of my concentration. That dimension is severely draining on the body and mind for us." She could not help but notice the frown that crossed Batman’s face under his cowl, and wondered just how much he knew now.

"I believe I can give you a device that will help you attune to that world," Dr. Fate assured her.

"When do I leave?" Canary asked with a smile that was only a pale shadow of her former bewitching mode.

"I think you deserve at least one night’s rest at home," Superman said with a frown. "Time to allow Fate to work, and you to rest those injuries."

"Sounds good." She gave him a smile that held more of her charm in it, and he found himself blushing, as it had affected him despite a happy marriage.

"Everyone else, check the rosters and keep your eyes out!" Green Lantern said in dismissal. Canary stayed where she was, letting everyone else leave. When Green Arrow looked her way, she looked down, thinking of the mess she had created in his life by all of this. When she looked back up, the room had emptied, and she spared no dignity by pulling herself up with a groan. She did not expect black-gloved hands to assist her.

"Are you sure you are capable of performing these duties in your shape?" Batman asked her, watching her with a neutral expression.

"Yes." She raised her chin defiantly.

"Then here." He handed her a package that felt heavier than its size looked. She glanced down at it, then back at him. "You need extra protection, while you heal, even if you do have an accelerated metabolism."

"A new costume?" At his nod, she smiled. "Thank you. You’re right; I do need an extra layer between me and hurtful things." She would have kissed any other man, just on the cheek, but this was Batman. "I’ll use it; I promise." She moved to carry it in front of her as he sidestepped away.

`~`~`~`~`

Dinah did not open the package until she was home. She felt exhausted, but wanted to see what the Bat Tailors had conspired to give her as a protective costume. It was of the flexible, light Kevlar mesh that seemed to make up the costumes of many of the more human fighters for one. It was also dark, to her, in the fact it was done in tones of black and gray. Then she saw the gold trim on it, the canary shaped zipper pull, and her face lit up like a child’s. She figured Batman must have been planning this as soon as he suspected she would have to return to active duty before she was healed. It was most definitely more concealing than her usual costume.

She moved to her bedroom where she had a large mirror, slipping out of her clothing to try it on. She would be very surprised if it did not fit, but better to know it now. She tried hard to disregard the scars and the twinges of pain as she bent over to adjust the legs. When she straightened, she let out a gasp, as she was no longer alone.

"What the hell are you doing here!" She quickly jerked the zipper up before spinning, glaring at Slade.

"I’ve merely come to see if the rumors of your resurrection were true." He was perched on the windowsill, fairly confident that he was in no danger from her. "And to ask if you have forgotten your promise to watch over my son? It seems he returned from his mission with you a little bitter and very angry." His eye flicked to her midsection. "Enlighten me."

"Stop intruding in my home, Slade," she growled, but she did sit down on the corner of her bed. "I could call for back up; you did not get my new communicator."

"I could be jamming. Or know I could kill you and escape before they arrived."

"Bas…." At his tut-tut over her language, she sighed. "Jericho went with a Titan team to help me with a small problem. He deployed a shade early into the combat, due to Arsenal coming out to assist me."

"He’ll learn better."

"He did exactly what he was supposed to," she defended. "But I had made an error. I had faulty intelligence, and it cost us all. Seems that their Jericho was still present, in spirit form. He took your son’s body as your son was jumping into our foe."

"Go on." Slade watched her neutrally.

"I caught on, too late, but in trying to protect my ally there, Jericho turned and attacked me. I take it the team handled it from there, but your son is rather understandably upset that his body was used to attack me."

"He always was given to sentiment," the villain sneered. Dinah snorted; he would not have come unless he carried the sentiment of concern for his child. "Those scars; I’ve seen the pattern before. They were made by a blade similar to mine."

"My ally was carrying one. Jericho got his hands on it." She raised her chin a notch.

"You were lucky it was not your ‘ally’ who was possessed. The blow would have been more precise." His one eye told her he knew who the ‘ally’ had been. "Well, Dinah Lance, it seems you have given my son a very valuable lesson." He stood to step out of the window. "Perhaps this will be profitable to me in the long run after all." With that he left her thinking long and hard over the past few months.

`~`~`~`~`

Ollie looked up from brooding over his bow, to see his ward and long time sidekick come across the rooftop.

"Hey there Speedy," he said, forcing some cheer in his voice. The younger man looked like hell, and Ollie felt the pain for both of them.

"Nightwing told me there was a big thing at the Watchtower today." The younger archer sat down and picked up an arrow, expertly fletching it for Ollie as he talked. "The Bat called him. Passing information on, that kind of thing." Roy’s voice sounded hollow, and Ollie wondered why the boy was being so rambling. Roy usually cut to the chase. "Dinah’s going back over there, barely healed. Tell you anything, old man?"

"She’s dedicated."

"Yeah…there’s that. She’s the kind that won’t go down 'til she can’t stand up again," Roy murmured. "Ollie…she’s got other reasons, reasons that may very well keep her there." Now he met the older man’s eyes. "I saw it for myself. I think, if she had not had the opportunity to go back again, when she took us Titans, she could have let it go as a might-have-been."

"But?" Ollie had a sick feeling in his guts. Dinah had not wanted to look at him today. He had missed her after her last trip too, until they finally had the thing at the Tower, and he thought things were healing. Now, she came back after a two week absence, in a coma, and Roy had told him she did not want visitors. Not even him. It had stung, but it had sent him visions of losing his precious pretty bird.

"She did go back. And I watched how she reacted to him. Hell, I think we all picked up on it, even if he is like Batman, no emotions on the outside. She glowed when he was near her." Roy heaved a heavy sigh. "Jericho’s evil twin must have seen it too, to try to kill her as a way of getting revenge on his father."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…you’re telling me my little Dinah fell for Slade? The jerk that gives you Titans so much hell?" Ollie felt all his anger boil up at the revelation of who he was competing with. "She’s looking at him versus me for who to run with?"

"Ollie, there’s no contest." Roy looked troubled. "She’s hard over for him, and I think, if she had not gotten hurt she was going to stay there. It nearly shut her down when she realized we were back here." He took a deep breath. "And he felt every bit the same, I’d wager."

"We’re talking about a man who is not even human!"

"Oh yeah? Tell that to Jericho, who spent two weeks getting to know what kind of man his father might have been." Roy rose to angrily pace. "Tell it to me, who shared his vigil at her bedside." He was still haunted by the sight of Canary in the bed, all the wires and tubes keeping her alive. Only the fact the Fries insisted she had brain activity had kept them from bringing her home even earlier, to die. Through it all, when Slade was not with Jericho, he had been in her room, keeping watch in silence.

"She’ll come home, Roy. She’ll go set things up, and she’ll come home. And I’ll help her get over him." Ollie watched his ward’s shoulders sag.

"Ollie, if you don’t say goodbye to her tomorrow, you may never get a chance to. Her heart is with that man, for better or worse, and somehow, I think they’re well matched." He started to walk off, having said all he needed to, but he paused. "They fought back to back, that final battle. Smooth as silk. She’s got his abilities, thinks like him, moves like him. She’s not the same pair of fishnets that went to that world by a long shot." He did leave then, hearing Arrow string his bow. It would be a long night of practice for the Archer, trying to rid his mind of images of someone like Slade taking his pretty bird from him.

`~`~`~`~`

The looks of appreciation for the full body costume amused Black Canary, and had her playing up to it. She kept her seductress persona on the forefront for the men in the room, as they discussed last minutes details, such as how to work her new communications gear, or how to activate the amulet Dr. Fate had given her. The only time it faltered was when Green Arrow walked in, his face set with some purpose. The others, except Mr. Terrific, found reasons to go do their other duties at his piercing glare at them. He ignored Terrific and came up to Canary with a throat clearing.

"Pretty Bird," he began. "Speedy and I had a talk last night." He reached out to take her hands, half afraid she would draw away.

"Arsenal," she corrected automatically. He sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Roy." His use of his ward’s given name ran home the seriousness of the conversation he was seeking here. "And he told me that it was now or never for me, if I let you go without saying goodbye." He brought one hand up to her face, his eyes suspiciously wet. "I’m sorry I did not fill your heart completely. Anything I did that made you look away…"

"It’s not you, Ollie." She leaned up on tiptoes, kissing his lips tenderly, but chastely. "I don’t understand why or how. It just happened." She hesitated. "Roy told you everything?"

"Said you found someone that made you feel like Question does around Huntress." That made them both laugh, and she nodded.

"Complete with the utter confusion." She leaned into him. "Ollie, I want you to be happy, but I’m not sure how to work past this yet."

"Be safe in that world." He moved away, noting that Terrific was ready to send her across the dimensions.

`~`~`~`~`

Green Arrow’s words were echoing in her mind as she felt herself fully in that other world. She let the disorientation fully hit, then triggered Dr. Fate’s amulet, letting it correct her dimensional aura to suit this one. She had only just gotten her bearings to see the room around her, when she became aware of the intruder alarm.

"Stop right there!" came a European accented voice, just before she was assailed by nausea and a sense of not knowing which end was up.

"Black Kestrel, you are under arrest!" That was said in a deeper voice, bearing an accent she could not immediately place, but she knew it was Black Adam.

"…not…Kestrel!" she managed to grind out, dropping to her knee as the world performed Escher loops inside a Picasso painting. She felt a tight grip lift her up by her throat, impeding her ability to speak, and more importantly, to use her Cry.

"I have her, Vertigo." Black Adam radiated menace, but the sickening feeling left her. "And you, Kestrel, will not trick us!"

"I swear it, Black Adam." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I can prove it." She saw Circe walk in, a spell half completed on her lips. "Please, just give me a chance." The dangling sensation was causing a slow fire to burn in her belly, as gravity aggravated the healing process.

"Her dimensional aura is our own," Circe said. "But I sense magic at work on her person."

"You have one minute. Draw in a breath to use your Scream, and I will use my full strength in one blow," Adam warned her, setting her on her feet. Rather than risk his temper or patience at all, she reached up and drew the zipper down to her navel, showing the vicious sword scars.

"My recent reward for coming to clean up our Luthor’s meddling," she told him, watching his face change from rage to penance. "I’m using an amulet to help me be better acclimated to your world, Circe. My Dr. Fate crafted it." She drew the zipper back up. "And by all of your reactions, I take it Kestrel has recently escaped custody."

"My apologies, Black Canary." Adam lifted her up by her shoulders and set her down on a counter, to get her off her feet. Vertigo got her a glass of water, bringing it with a soft apology. "Yes, she went missing from a prison break three nights ago."

"Well, she’s going to be confined soon enough. Terrific’s transfer beam will place her exactly where I was, and Green Arrow was in there with him." She sipped the water as she got her breath back.

"What brings you back to us, Canary?" Circe asked, though a wry smile shaped her lips.

"The dimensional shifts. My people have been trying to solve the why, so maybe they can solve the how to fix part." She drew a disk out and offered it to Vertigo. "All of our data so far. They sent me, with communication gear that can navigate the dimensions, to be a liaison on efforts to correct the problem."

"I’ll get this to Alexi," Vertigo said, walking out calmly. Black Adam shrewdly appraised Black Canary for a long moment.

"Your thoughts?"

"I think there has been some hole opened up somewhere, and the universes are trying to plug it. For some reason, doing so is going to require either the speed force or sonic energies, or both." The petite blonde shook her hair back out of her eyes. "The data is all on the disk."

Black Adam weighed the words against his own thoughts. He admired the spirit of this fighter, this woman that had breezed into their life from another world. She had brought much needed aid and almost paid with her life for it the last time. He was not one to disregard such sacrifices.

"I think it will take first priority for CHAMP then." Black Adam offered her his arm as she slipped back to the floor. He escorted her to the operations center, while Circe went to her private room. Mission or not, the witch knew that there were other reasons for Canary to be here, and she was wondering how long it would take the main one to learn she had returned.

`~`~`~`~`

Black Adam looked up at the door as it opened, then back down to the computer screen after noting it was only Terminator.

"What you are saying is that we need the runners and the vocalists to cause the two dimensions to regain their fully opposite harmonics?" Canary asked Alexi, too wrapped up in her conversation to be aware of externals. "How in heck are we going to do that? How many harmonics are we talking about? How many speedsters are needed to affect the vibrational patterns?"

"That is where we need to think more, make projections, work some graphical models." Alexi turned to smile up at her. "Tell that to your League. This Terrific of yours has a brain that puts me in envious mode." She laughed softly, returning his smile with warmth.

"Alright, I’ll contact them and let them know." She turned from standing at his shoulder, her momentum faltering as she saw Slade had joined them. It had been two days since she had arrived in their world, two long days of working on the problem and not wanting to break Slade’s privacy by asking for a way to contact him. Black Adam noted the slight color that came to Canary’s cheeks, the way she held her breath a moment, and raised one eyebrow. It made him glance at his old friend Slade, and then look away, discomfited by the fact that Slade seemed affected by her presence as well.

"Canary." Slade’s voice caused her to feel chills. "You have healed?"

"Good enough to get on with my job," she answered, walking to his side. "Could you show me to a quiet room, so I can relay information back?" She carefully did not act on her urge to move into his personal space.

"This way." He gestured for her to precede him into the hall, keeping his thoughts as carefully hidden as always. He took her to a small briefing room, and then sat on the table edge while she tuned her communication gear. As she worked, he studied her, seeing the barest hint that she was carrying herself in a more protective fashion. He approved the armored costume, and thought she carried it well, without loss of flexibility. In short, she was as appealing to him on a fighting level as she was on a personal one.

"Mr. Terrific, can you read me?" she began, her voice steady. For her part, she betrayed none of the turmoil she felt now that she was actually in Slade’s presence. She was able to get the full briefing of what had been discovered to the man in her native world, while only briefly glancing at the man with her. "Copy that, Terrific. We’ll be in touch from our end, and you’ve got my number." She turned off the small communicator and put it safely away, taking her time as she realized she was completely alone with Slade now.

"Our end?" His rapid pick up on that phrase caused her heart to beat hard.

"I am your liaison," she began to cover that slip, making another.

"Mine?" He was next to her in the span of a breath’s passing, drawing her against his firm body with the intent of pressing that point.

"I…I wish to stay." She looked up at him with those little girl eyes, her face full of conflict between wanting him and fear that he did not feel the same way.

"You would leave behind all you have known, all your friends, your allies, to come to this world to live, for what?" His voice was measured, strong, and questioning, holding no warmth for her. She pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder, inhaling the scent of him before she stepped back from him, chin up defiantly.

"Tell me not to," she challenged him, remembering that the Slade of her world had responded best to her feisty nature. "Tell me you don’t want me here." She stepped back to truly look him over, head to toe.

"And you would go home obediently, little bird? Fly away to that Archer of yours there, let him console your broken heart?" His calculated hateful tone merely made her laugh at him.

"You don’t scare me." She brought her hand up and touched his face as he caught her other wrist, drawing her back to his body. "Besides, maybe I could reform that Slade Wilson. He’s come to see me twice already." Her words hit on the mark, as he held her possessively close, bending down to put his ears near her lip.

"You would never forgive him for the things he’s done," he whispered, before tasting her throat and ear. The moan she responded with encouraged him, having been sure to lock the door on entry.

`~`~`~`~`

He had her settled against him, as they sat against the wall. Her head rested on his shoulder with lazy contentment. His fingers played over the traces of scars on her stomach.

"Do you want the story of how it happened?" he asked her. "How Joseph was ghosting in Owlman’s body?"

"Only if you wish to say it," she replied, covering his hand with her own. He chuckled softly.

"That is how you’ll be, never asking about the past, always just moving forward with me," he murmured. "I needed to know. The last time I saw Joseph, he fell from a cliff, and I presumed he was dead." His hand entwined in hers as he drew in a deep breath. "I went to interrogate Kestrel. I had to know what happened after the fall, because I had not found a body on any recons into the canyon. She was not cooperative at first."

"I can imagine."

"Perhaps not. The reason Joseph was on that cliff was because he was fighting me, carrying out her bidding. He had become her creature fully, and blamed me for Grant’s defection back to my side, as well as his subsequent death." Something in his voice made her suspect he took the blame for Grant’s death, and she remembered getting that same impression from the Slade in her own world. "Kestrel said that Raptor was monitoring our fight, and he got to Joseph well before I was able to get to the bottom of that canyon."

"He took your son away, and your son was not yet dead."

"He was dying, Kestrel told me. And he made eye contact with Raptor before he did it. He then perfected a technique for hiding his presence from his host, while also being able to operate without the host’s knowledge. That is how Kestrel found out. My son had transferred to Owlman after perfecting his tricks, and told her the story."

"So, when he took Jericho’s body as Jericho took Owlman’s, he chose to take out his revenge on you at long last," Dinah said softly. "Only, I distracted him."

"He thought fast on his feet. Figured out that I probably had an attachment to you. Better to hurt me through someone else and watch me suffer than to kill me cleanly." Slade stroked her hair.

"I’m sorry." She looked up at him, smiling softly. "I’ll try not to run into sharp pointy things again." He chuckled at her then. "I suppose we should make a reappearance," she said with reluctance to leave his company.

"We will." He pulled her up to her feet as he rose. "When this crisis is over, we’ll discuss your choice to stay in more depth."

"You won’t change my mind." She pulled the zipper up to her chin, watching him tie his mask on.

"Dinah, you barely know me." He straightened his belt and fastened it.

"I know enough." With that, she walked to the door to open it. "Coming?" Her eyes twinkled merrily, and he wondered just what he had gotten himself into by giving in to his more human inclinations.

`~`~`~`~`

Circe awakened Black Canary in the middle of that night, with a finger over her lips and an urgent sign to come. The vigilante pulled her costume on quickly and did so, worried something had happened. The witch took her outside the building and onto a floating disk of energy, before speaking.

"We’ve had a request to parlay, from Slipstream. He asked specifically for you." Circe met the younger woman’s eyes. "I thought it best to not speak of it to anyone, and Black Adam concurs."

"Because?"

"To more quietly handle the situation. Others have a non-parlay attitude to dealing with the villains." Circe guided their transport to a rooftop on the edge of the city. "Alexi is adamant against negotiations with the enemy."

The pair landed on the rooftop to find a scarlet clad speedster waiting beside a man that Black Canary assumed to be this world’s Nightwing.

"I’m Slipstream," the speedster introduced. "This is Raptor." He pointed at Canary. "What do they call you again? Black Bird?"

"Black Canary." She found his lecherous leers far more annoying than Wally’s.

"Yeah, well, I just bounced in and out of your world, bird, and guess what? I really, really don’t like it, and I want it to stop."

"What Slipstream is getting at," the other man said with a steel edge. "Is that we are willing to cooperate with your attempts to fix the imbalance. I heard from your Flash that it is going to require speedsters. And sonic powers."

"So why call me?" Black Canary managed, barely, to hide her worry for Wally in this cold man's hands.

"Because you, and only you, seem to be staying permanently here. Every other swap out has vanished in hours of arriving." Raptor’s tone implied many of them had received ugly treatments from the Legion of Doom. "So, logically, you must be the point of contact between worlds."

"Point made and taken." She looked at him with a shrug. "Have your people had any luck? I can filter it through to mine, add it into the communal effort."

"We want full access to your data in exchange," he countered. "And your word not to try and arrest whomever I designate as the point of contact for us." He met her eyes with an intensity that rocked her on her heels. "Swear it."

"CHAMP is not bound…"

"No, Canary." Circe put her hand on the small woman’s arm. "You have the authority. Black Adam said so, and he is leader now."

"Fine. My word not to try to arrest your messenger while we work to resolve this thing." Canary wondered why people thought she was so trustworthy.

"This building will be the meeting point," Raptor decreed. "Midnight, every night, until it is done. Miss a meeting, the deal is off and we find our own way out."

"Good bluff, but if you had a clue, you wouldn't have called me." Her words were out before she could censor, and she wondered again why she enjoyed pissing off dangerous men. Raptor smirked at her.

"Every tool has its use, Black Canary. A trick I’m sure you know." He turned to Slipstream, who picked him up and vanished away into the night.

`~`~`~`~`

The fact Slade asked nothing of her late night trip out was a relief. He had been up and passed her on the way to the operations center when she and Circe returned. She did not like cooperating with the bad guys; it rubbed her wrong. Still, she would do what was needed to fix both her worlds, so she could put it behind her and move on with her future. Black Adam listened to both of them, and then came to Canary with a communication chip.

"Since you are staying here indefinitely, I wish you to wear this," he told her. "And consider yourself unofficially inducted to CHAMP." He smiled when she tilted her head to the side, letting him fix the chip behind her ear.

"Careful Black Adam; I might think you were asking me out, or something," she teased him. It got a good laugh out of the nigh immortal warrior. She then yawned and stretched, hissing at the pull on tight skin. "Think I’ll turn in again, if you don’t need me."

"Call me Teth. My friends should use my chosen name."

"Dinah." She turned to the door. "And thank you." She went to find her room then, hoping to finish at least a few more hours of sleep. The bed was quite inviting, and she was soon soundly asleep again. When the door opened and shut with little sound, her only reaction was as the bed moved. Her sleepy eye opened just enough to see it was Slade, and then she was wrapped in his arms, able to sleep more deeply than she had in weeks.

`~`~`~`~`

They had patched Canary’s communication gear into the operation center, and were conferencing on the details. She was perched on a counter, which had brought a teasing remark from Alexi that she had an aversion to chairs. Adam and Circe were both present, as was Slade, but so far that was the extent of the meeting from this dimension. Terrific had Steel and Flash present with him, and Canary suspected Batman was in the background, not speaking.

"Canary, we don’t have enough speedsters," Flash said, reminding himself to talk at her speed. "The plan is a good one, but I can’t come up with enough runners who actually tap the speed force."

The blonde glanced around the room, at Black Adam who shook his head. She sighed very softly, before remembering her conversation with Raptor and Slipstream.

"Leave it to me. I have to tie something up here, Terrific, and then I’ll handle things on that end."

"How, Canary…I’ve been over the roster half a dozen times," the other man commented.

"I’ll talk to the one bad guy the others are all afraid of, and make him see the need for cooperation. He’ll see that the villains cough up the extra speedsters we need." Her gaze fell on Slade as she said it.

"Umm, Canary, who are they all afraid of?" Flash asked. "Savage? Or Luthor? Because Luthor is still in that coma thing from meeting that world’s Batguy."

"Slade. You should have been a Titan longer, Flash, so you'd know that," she replied, averting her face from this world’s version of that man. The sound at the other end was suspiciously quiet a moment.

"Canary, I’m sure we can find a way without dealing with a sociopath." Terrific seemed concerned about this course of action. Flash could be heard muttering about death counts higher than small country populations.

"I can handle him, Terrific, and he’ll listen to me, which means we’ll get our help. He’s had two opportunities to kill me in my own home, and both times all he wanted was to talk. Just let me do something on this side first, and I’ll call for pick up in a few hours." She was not unaware of Slade watching her, his one eye focused on her with unnerving intensity.

"Very well, Canary. We’ll see you then." They cut communications, and Canary slid off her perch.

"Circe, can I borrow you a moment? And Teth, can I have a list of all known speedsters associated with CHAMP?"

"Certainly," the big man said, as Circe nodded. "I’ll have it for when you come back."

The two women passed on out of the room, with Canary carefully avoiding the gimlet stare that Slade had turned her way. She knew what needed to be done, and if that meant negotiating with his evil twin, then she would. Otherwise, the happiness she was carving out for herself would be short-lived.

"Circe, I need some way of contacting Raptor. I can’t meet with him if I am in the other dimension."

"You cannot wait until after tonight’s meeting?"

"I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve," Canary confessed. "My world’s Slade…he stands out, even among the rogues I’ve seen and fought."

"Very well. The best way would be to go to Bludhaven. I will teleport us both there, and hopefully be able to bring us back." The witch began a spell to tend to their needs, keeping one hand on Canary.

They did not wait long, once in Bludhaven. It appeared that Raptor had this town severely under observation as he landed on the roof with them. He did not look very hospitable as he stood, arms crossed, apart from them.

"What?"

"I need to tell you I will be out of this dimension, and can’t keep our meetings." Canary drew in a deep breath. "The League I work with there does not have enough speedsters." She outlined the plan that had formed for him.

"CHAMP does not have enough either." Raptor’s eyes glinted. "They’ll have to accept ours."

"Raptor," Circe began. "Don’t get too greedy when you bargain with us. Our models show dire consequences if things are not set right soon."

"Don’t worry, witch. I’ll handle the details." He swept his hand at them dismissively. "Midnight, the day you return, Canary, as we agreed originally."

"Deal."

`~`~`~`~`

Canary did pause in her room to gather her thoughts before returning to the operations center. She did not want to have to talk to any more villains, and here she was dealing with one world’s leading free bad guy while contemplating a move to speak to her world’s deadliest mercenary. She took in a long deep breath, then turned to go do what needed to be done, only to step directly into Slade’s arms.

No words passed; he just steadied her nerves, lending that inhuman calm to her. He pressed a small piece of paper in her hand before letting go and leaving. She watched him go, then strode purposefully to the operations center to get this moving quickly. She wanted to be able to just be with him, and start her new life in full.

`~`~`~`~`

It was only chance that Green Arrow came up to duty just as Black Canary materialized from the other world. He could feel his heart hammering, thinking maybe Roy had been wrong. He started to walk closer, as she had engaged both Batman and Mr. Terrific in conversation.

"Absolutely necessary. And no tracers, either of you; he’s smart enough to find them." She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and Green Arrow noted that she seemed more vibrant than when he had last seen her. In fact, she looked like a woman who knew what she wanted and had found it at last. It crushed part of his heart, but on the other hand, at least he knew she was truly happy.

"Your plan is dangerous," Batman said.

"He’s already been willing to talk to me. If this does not pan out, only I am at risk; you guys can pursue other avenues. I just trust that he can get the results fastest, as Alexi is unsure how much time we have left." Black Canary’s confidence was infectious, most of the time, so it did perk Green Arrow’s interest that Batman did not approve her plan.

"How will you find him?" Mr. Terrific asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can’t share that information." Her stubborn ethics kicked in. "His counterpart gave me a means."

"I hope your ally realizes he could have signed your death warrant." That statement, from the Bat, set the Archer’s blood running cold.

"He has confidence in me and my assessment." She was not giving in, and eventually Batman relented.

"Be safe, Black Canary. We’ll keep your allies informed," he finally said, and the woman quickly left, not even seeing Green Arrow in her haste.

"Why do I feel like she’s bit off more than she can chew?" he asked as he joined the pair, wanting to follow her, but knowing that would get him sonic screamed into the next week.

"Because she probably has," Mr. Terrific said. "I would never admit to having any connection to Slade." At those words, Green Arrow did take off at a run, to try and stop the woman he loved. He reached the transporters quick enough, but she was gone, and the codes wiped.

"...the things you get yourself into, girl..." he murmured.

`~`~`~`~`

She glanced at the paper Slade had put in her hand, reading the address and name one more time. She then looked at the impressive mansion with trepidation.

"Here goes, Dinah. One more step in the lion’s den." She walked down the path to the door, using the antique knocker there. When it opened to reveal a man of impeccable dress and that vaguely superior British air, she knew she had to be at the right place. "Mister Wintergreen? Is Mister Wilson in?" Her casual aplomb and winning smile took the butler off guard, as did her knowledge. "I swear on all I hold dear that I am only here to talk, not to have an ugly scene."

"Come in, Miss Lance." His use of her name surprised her, and then put her on guard. It meant Slade had spoken of her to this man. He led her into a great room, one decorated quite tastefully with art from around the world. They had passed a study door that had game trophies, but this reeked of civility.

"What a surprise. One would almost think you missed me coming by your apartment." The voice had its usual effect on her nerves, but she refused to show it as she turned to see Slade in a light pair of pants, no shirt, and his eye patch. He had just come in from the veranda, apparently, as he had a fine sheen of sweat on his skin. "Never mind that no one here knows where I live. I’m sure you had extra worldly sources."

"I apologize for intruding on your privacy, and you have my word not to divulge this, ever." She hoped that was enough, and wondered just what had possessed her. "I need your help."

"Your accounts don’t run deep enough, little flower arranger," he said with a smile, enjoying her discomfort, as a cat enjoys playing with a mouse.

"Slade, this concerns the survival of our world. You were the only person I thought could do this," she said, flattering his ego.

"More like I was the only person you thought might listen before he killed you." The mercenary took a seat, and indicated she should as well. "Speak. If I agree, I will name a price. If you are willing to meet it, I will do what you need. Business, pure and simple."

She met his gaze steadily, weighing his honor against what she knew of him from Arsenal, from the League files. "Alright, Slade." She took a deep breath in, and produced the list Black Adam had given her. "Bluntly put, this world and the one I have been visiting are on the verge of imploding together. For some reason, they are not in full opposition with their vibrational harmonics. The universes have been trying to fix this, by bringing people back and forth. We know how to do what is needed, to tune the two frequencies into full opposition again." She handed him the list. "But the League does not have enough speedsters. They have the required vocal powers, but not the Speed." He looked over the list carefully. "They need those people to cooperate with the League speedsters. Superman has agreed not to try and arrest them at the effort to do what is needed."

"So you come to me, suspecting I may be able to convince them?" A smile touched his lips. "You keep saying ‘they’, Canary. Have you resigned?"

"Personal," she countered, not willing to discuss the decision she had made with the mirror image of the man she had fallen for.

"Color me curious." His tone was dry, and probing, all in one.

"Name your price to do this," she said, trying to put his attention on what was important, and not the head games he seemed to enjoy.

"My price is simple, Dinah Laurel Lance." He leaned forward to make his point clearly. "You will stay here, as my guest, for the next three days. I have a task for you, that will not cut your conscience too greatly." He stood up to walk to the bar as she digested his price.

"I won’t kill."

"No, you won’t." He regarded her as he poured them both a mineral water. "You accept, then?"

"For the good of the dimensions, I do," she said, fighting the creeping sensation that she was entering a deal with a devil.

"Good." He brought her the water and raised his glass to hers. "To our new partnership."

`~`~`~`~`

Canary had been shown to a room and assured that clothing and other articles would be acquired for her brief stay by Wintergreen. Slade had left her to his care after finishing the glass of water, and asked that she go rest for an hour or so, while he made calls to begin his end of the bargain. His utter civility toward her was unnerving in itself, but he was on his home ground, and she was the intruder now.

At the end of the hour, she heard a brief knock, and then the door opened. Slade, in full kit, was leaning in the door, watching her as she stood from the bed.

"Come. Your task starts now." He turned to walk away, leaving her to follow quickly, as his long legs made no excuse for her short ones. It was a jarring reminder of the differences in the man she loved and this one. Her lover automatically matched her pace, without any awkwardness.

"What is the task?" she asked, following him outside. He did not answer as she saw a young teenage girl, with long white hair, standing in the middle of a workout area.

"You will teach my daughter for the next three days, Black Canary. You will not speak of your views on the work I do, or the views of your own work. You will merely share your martial arts." His tone was firm, implying violence if she went against his wishes.

"No talking about good guys versus bad guys," she reiterated. "And I teach her." She cocked her head to one side to view the man. He met her gaze solidly. "I gave my word, Wilson. Do you doubt me when I have placed myself completely at your mercy by coming to your home?" He shrugged away her words, but seemed suitably appeased by her answer.

"You are of sufficient prowess for her needs now. I do not care for the one woman I know to be your better in formal martial arts," he explained. "And though there are at least seven formal fighters I rank ahead of you, none are female, save that one."

"What about brawling?" she asked, to be sure she knew what was wanted.

"Just the Sensei’s art." He half-smiled at her frown for mentioning the honored man that had refined her raw ability. "The fighter I do not care for was his student as well, another reason you are an adequate choice."

"What’s your daughter’s name?" Canary looked to where the girl waited patiently.

"So your lover has not shared all our secrets yet?" Slade smiled again at the vicious look from her. "How else could you have known where to find me? I recognized my blade marks when I visited you last. Who else has a stake in looking after my son?"

"He mentioned his daughter the first time I stayed in his world, just as he told me of having two sons."

"Rose." He indicated the girl with a raised hand.

"Rose, then." Canary stepped forward, and Deathstroke left them alone. He had business elsewhere.

`~`~`~`~`

When he returned the next day, he could hear the sounds of his daughter sparring fiercely with her new teacher. After taking time to himself to shower and change, he went to see how it was proceeding, knowing Rose was very advanced. He had doubts that Canary would be able to show more than the style itself, as the blonde vigilante was not truly a heavyweight, despite being so highly ranked in formal martial arts circles. So it was with much surprise that he saw Rose was very much on the defensive, breathing hard, and having to draw on some fairly dirty tricks to hold her own. He stayed where he was, watching silently as Canary stopped the combat session to explain another technique. When they returned to the sparring, and Rose executed it correctly, Canary demonstrated the counter. It made Slade’s nerves prickle at how rapidly she had done so, as Rose had not immediately used it.

He continued to watch, studying Canary’s motions now. He could not shake the feeling that she was actually anticipating Rose, even though Rose, like himself, could do that to her opponents. When Rose blinded Canary with sand, he became sure of it, as the small woman blocked and then countered Rose’s next strike perfectly.

"Rose." His voice made the girl somersault out of Canary’s range and wait perfectly still. "Inside." She nodded and obeyed, leaving Canary to wipe her eyes clean while staring at him. He strode over to her, his face a mask of consideration.

"I’ve done what you asked," she said, defensively. "I did basic technique all yesterday afternoon, then started advanced this morning. She does better when I allow free combat, so we’ve sparred all day, with a technique break every fifteen minutes." She did not want him to find any fault that might make him not do as she wanted, or alter what her end of the bargain was.

"Tell me, Dinah Lance, how you came to think at superspeed?" For emphasis, he went to sweep her feet, and watched as she easily avoided the move, going on the defensive herself.

"Superspeed is not my forte," she countered, meeting his next few moves with cautious, generic defenses. "What are you doing?"

"Testing you." He launched into full hand-to-hand combat mode, and observed her as she met him on a level that he had never once anticipated her capable of. "I had no reason to believe that you were of any interest, until you went hunting my son. And now I find that you are more than just a pretty face with a siren’s call." He landed one solid blow against her stomach, probing the weakness of those fresh scars he had seen just a few days prior. Though she did wince, it did not stop her from launching a counterattack that would bruise his throat. "Faster than peak human reflexes, thoughts moving fast enough to anticipate other fighters, enhanced healing ability…" With that summary, he snatched her and pinned her to the ground, using his full weight and skill. She could not do more than stare up into his face, with just a touch of fear.

"I’ve done nothing but what you asked of me," she growled, but the fact he had not gripped her throat penetrated enough to make her understand that he did not intend to truly hurt her, yet.

"How did you come to be more than you were when I first profiled you?" he asked in curiosity. "What event triggered these changes that makes you almost close to my ability?"

"He happened. He saved my life, with a transfusion of his antibodies," she told him, forcing herself to relax, to not seem a threat to this very dangerous man.

"Ahh." Just as swiftly as it had begun, he ended the pin, even drawing her up with a hand. "So your attachment to him is yet another psychological hang up, a Nightingale Syndrome on top of your obvious father issues."

"Say what you will, Slade, but I don’t hear you," she said, feeling the burn of having worked out at new levels. "Can’t we just leave personal issues out of this and keep it business, pure and simple?" She used his exact inflections and tones for the last four words, causing him to chuckle at her.

"I can almost pity my alternate self, to have to deal with your mouth and feisty nature, Dinah Lance." His smile took on a more menacing tone. "We’ll see if you make it back there without running afoul because of it."

`~`~`~`~`

That night, Slade insisted on her sharing a meal with him. She had wanted to plead fatigue, which was the truth, but she did not wish to be rude or give him further reason to trap her into one of his elaborate head games. When she discovered she was to wear a dress, she almost balked, but common sense ruled the day. She just never expected him to be quite so civil as when she came downstairs to find Rose already at the table, and him waiting beside a chair. This, he pulled out for her, and she had the keenest sense of being in an upside down world. If anything, it was more surreal than her first trip to her lover's world.

The meal proceeded mostly in a peaceful silence, though Canary’s nerves were close to the edge the whole time. It was only when Rose was dismissed to bed that the edge suddenly seemed like a sheer drop off to her. He rose from the table, helped her up, and then indicated she should follow him.

"I’ve already set up most of what your League…wait, not your League anymore, eh?" The sly smile at her was infuriating, but she merely smiled. "The League will have all the needed speedsters. Professor Zoom knows the ins and outs of his colleagues and was most cooperative with me." He had taken her to his study, and she had to repress a shudder at seeing his big game trophies.

"Thank you." The two simple words were easy enough to say, despite the gall at them being necessary.

"I want one more thing from you," he told her, passing her a glass of water. She accepted warily, her eyes never leaving him. "Knowledge of the other you."

The command caught her off guard; she failed to see what interest it might hold for him, until he noted the way his gaze did appreciate the way she was dressed. A flush almost spread over her features, and she quickly took a swallow to hide it.

"From what I’ve gathered, she’s one of their worst rogues. Uses her vocal power with lethal force, seduces men to further her goals, and is a highly dangerous fighter. She also has had the most contact with their younger rogues." She paused meeting his eye again. "She was the one to pull Joey and his brother into a life of crime. She apparently wanted the full family, but Slade discovered the truth behind her seduction."

"Hmm." He seemed to be considering those factors. "When you were given the transfusion, did you suffer ill effects?"

"No. I was sick with a gene plague, and then I woke up, with a much more acute range of senses," she told him, not liking the thought that he might be considering taking in her mirror version.

"Interesting." He leaned back in his chair. "That is all, Miss Lance. Good Night."

`~`~`~`~`

Even Batman had to sigh in relief when Canary requested teleport from an Embassy. Green Arrow was very pleased to see Black Canary return from bargaining with Slade three days after leaving. Then he saw the bruises, and the fact she was walking very slow, covering for either injuries or severe bruising elsewhere. It made him want to use his bow for more than trick arrows, at a tiny target on a two-sided mask with one eye. J’onn did a brief brush over her public mind. Mr. Terrific scanned her in-depth, to be sure Slade had not sent her with unknowing traps. The woman did look battered and worn out, but she had a ready smile for them.

"He said his side’s runners will accept their coordination from Flash," Batman told her. "We’ve had confirmation from Professor Zoom."

"Good." She wearily sat down at one of the chairs next to the monitor station. "How long ‘til I’m needed for my part?"

"The effort will commence tomorrow," J’onn told her. "You should rest." He had glimpsed the fact she had not trusted herself to truly sleep while in the house of their sociopath enemy.

"Mr. Terrific?" She indicated the beam machine to send her back to the world she had adopted. "I’ve got to meet with their head villain too, to be sure their speedsters are ready." Green Arrow almost flinched; the others might not hear it, but he remembered that longing tone…the one Dinah would give him over the phone when they had been apart too long. Now some other man was the recipient of her needs and desires.

"Certainly. Circe has been holding up communications on that end." Green Arrow could only watch as she faded out…he had already given her his good bye, the morning after Roy had told him, even as he hoped the boy was wrong. Wonder Woman frowned at the name, but said nothing. With a very tired sigh, Black Canary moved to the transport spot they had made for handling the switches, making sure to hold onto her amulet from Dr. Fate. The tingle of the beam hit her, and she felt the slight chill it caused, before all sensation faded.

`~`~`~`~`

She came to on a medical bed, with Alexi frowning over her. Her groan was met with a gentle squeeze of her hand. She turned her head somewhat to see Circe sitting there.

"You passed out as soon as you arrived," the witch told her. "I brought you here, and I took the liberty of reactivating your amulet, so Alexi could check you over." She gently brushed the blonde’s hair back. "I did not tell Slade yet."

"Please don’t." She did not explain, and Circe did not press. Being in love with a man that kept his emotions sharply controlled was difficult enough without giving him reason to worry under the stoic mask. "What time is it?"

"Ten or so, at night," Alexi told her. "You need to rest some more."

"Can’t. Have to meet someone, make sure everything is on track." She sat up slowly. Alexi walked away, muttering about blondes and stubborn psychoses. Circe assisted Dinah in standing.

"Raptor?" she probed.

"Can’t risk him knowing I’m back and not make the meeting. No telling how he would handle it." The vigilante shook her head to clear it. "Is Slade here?"

"No, he’s out on patrol again. He stayed busy that way the past three days." Unspoken was her absence being the reason why.

"Alright." She smiled at Circe. "Do I get Kiki’s Delivery Service again, or can I use someone’s wheels?" At the witch’s confused look, she sighed. "I need a lift to that building."

`~`~`~`~`

The plan was straightforward and fairly simple. The vocal heroes and villains were stationed throughout the world, bringing their various harmonics in tune with predefined pitches. Racing against the spin of the earth, the various speedsters would be creating a complimentary vibrational harmonics. Both dimensions would be doing this, but their harmonic pitches were designed to fully tune the worlds away from one another, to seal the rift that had inexplicably been created. Alexi felt that the rift was due to the loss of another dimensional world, somewhere in the multiverse, whereas Mr. Terrific thought it had to do with the high number of people who affected history in the two worlds not having matched counterparts. Either way, their solution would stop the unintentional dimensional swapping.

Black Canary had some concerns about what would happen to her, and had talked to Dr. Fate a long time on the dimensional radio. He had assured her that the amulet she wore, and the one he had placed on Kestrel, would allow them to take each other’s place. Her former teammates were sorry to lose her, even as Black Adam had welcomed her wholeheartedly into their world.

She had returned from her meeting with Raptor very late, and then talked to Dr. Fate. When she did finally go curl up in her bed, it was far too late to even think of seeing if Slade had returned. In a way, she was glad. The bruises from her sparring with Rose, and another session with Slade, were rather livid and she did not want to bother him. She was quite surprised, then, that he was there to wake her, explaining only that he was going to take her to her assigned point. As he was already masked, she had no way of knowing how he viewed the marks she bore as she slipped into the armored costume Batman had given her. It was only as she was slipping her gloves on that he even touched her, running a gloved hand over her cheek lightly before helping her to her feet.

"You will get a long rest after this is done today, Dinah." His voice brooked no argument. "We’ll go to my home."

"I look forward to it, Slade." She walked at his side, letting him guide her to where he had a small two man jet craft to take them to the mission. The leap of her heart in her chest could not be stopped; he had accepted her choice to stay.

"What price did he extract from you?" He had waited until they were airborne to ask.

"To teach Rose." She watched him tense briefly.

"You’ll meet my Rose today, Dinah."

"I know." Neither had spoken much of where they were going with their unexpected relationship, but neither was the type to make an issue of it. If he was taking her home, that was all she needed to know he had accepted her into his life. "He seemed, disturbed, by my new fighting prowess. Had to test my level himself," she volunteered.

"I can see he did not pull punches either." He did not seem to like it, but was also relieved that had been the extent of her bargaining with his evil counterpart.

"I think I learned from it as much as Rose learned from me." She leaned as far forward as her belts allowed to lightly touch his shoulder. Briefly, he covered her hand before he started bringing the jet down in upstate New York. As the cockpit cleared, he frowned under the mask because Raptor was there as well, talking to Slipstream. "Easy, Slade. They have their part to play too. And you know it won’t take them long to fall back to crime, so those pardons won’t mean a thing."

"True." He gave her a hand to help her out of the cockpit, then set up the equipment to help her tune her Cry to the required pitch. Neither hero could fully ignore the two villains, but they had work to do for the greater good. The actual work would only take a few minutes at most, but it would take all her concentration to hold a pitch not typically used in her Cry.

Right on time, Slipstream raced off, beginning the first phase of their plan to retune the two worlds. Canary watched the time, waiting to come in at the proper point. She had never done a sustained Cry before, and wondered if she would be able to meet the full length required.

"You will do this," Slade told her quietly, having read her self-doubt easily. "You concentrate on that ability of yours, and I’ll keep an eye on Raptor over there." She flashed him her breathtaking smile, drawing in a breath and releasing it. Now she wished she had studied voice at least a little, to sustain the notes she would need for the amplification machine Slade had set up.

At the allotted moment, she kicked in her Cry, wincing at the tightness of her throat as she held it in the scale Mr. Terrific and Alexi had agreed on. She closed her eyes, concentrating solely on her part in this mission that would forever sever her from her home world, from the men and women she had known, fought with, and loved. From this point on, there was only her new life, a life that centered on the deep bond she had with a man that was more than old enough to be her father, a man that was held in high esteem and a little awe by his allies. She would have to meet his daughter, and earn her trust, meet the man Wintergreen in this world, a man she knew was likely as loyal to Slade as Rose was. In short, she was making a brand new beginning on the basis of a love she could not deny.

She felt the strain on her voice about the same time she felt the world responding to their efforts. Her amulet from Dr. Fate grew warm, almost distracting her, before she felt a wrenching twist in her guts and she fell to one knee. She did not let her voice die, though, maintaining her role for the full three minutes Terrific had calculated. Sure enough, there was another wrenching moment, and she had to use one hand to hold herself up against the audio amplifier. She kept her eyes closed, having opened them briefly to see a wavering of the realities that disoriented her.

As the third minute ticked off, she let the Cry fade, slumping heavily against the machine that had converted her raw energy into the power needed to break the dimensions apart fully. Around the world, others like her were similarly exhausted, while their running counterparts collapsed in whatever remote locale they might happen to be in when the time passed.

`~`~`~`~`

Roy was the one with him, watching over the monitors as the woman called Black Kestrel performed under the watchful eye of Task Force X. The realities shimmered a bit, and then the sonic screamer stopped, collapsing in a heap, unconscious for the Task Force to take away.

"Costume didn’t change," Ollie whispered.

"No." Roy reached out, hesitated, and then thought of what Dinah would want. With no more hesitation, the younger man pulled his mentor into a hug, giving and taking support as they both admitted fully that their pretty bird was never coming home.

`~`~`~`~`

"Canary?" She heard Slade’s voice through the ringing in her ears, and had to open her eyes to be sure it was the right one. Sure enough, the man she had chosen was there, watching carefully over her as Raptor approached.

"I’m alright," she murmured, drawing herself to a standing position. "I’m completely fine, in fact. Because I’m still here." She refused to hide her relief or her happiness, and thought she saw a small smile under his mask in reply. She turned her attention to the dangerous young man walking their way, putting on a business face. As Slade casually observed her, he saw her body language move into the disarming, come hither manner that worked so well for her, most of the time.

"It’s done. We go our way, you go yours, and the game of cat and mouse starts all over," Raptor said, his eyes staying on Black Canary. "Agreed?"

"Yes. As per the deal. You could try it our way. You are a very gifted young man, and you could make a difference in a good way." She reached out to him, having to try.

"Thanks, but I’m happy with my life as it is," he said convincingly as he leaned on the amplifier. "We both know things will get ugly pretty fast, right?"

"It doesn’t have to be that way," Canary pressed.

"You think that." He pushed off the amplifier and walked away, going back to presumably wait on his ride. When he was back at the small spot where they had first seen him, he turned back to face them. "By the way! Lady Owl sends her regards!"

Canary’s nerves were too worn, and her body too exhausted, but Slade realized something was afoot rapidly enough. With the lightning precision he was known for, he dove for his lover, tackling her to the ground and taking the dart thrown by Slipstream, who had been waiting for Raptor’s signal. No sooner did he feel its sting than the amplifier the young man had leaned against blew up, throwing shrapnel in all directions. He kept Dinah tucked tightly under his body, letting his own take the damage as much as possible.

"Slade!" Her outcry was almost hysterical as she pushed at him, while the raining shrapnel petered out.

"Hush, little bird," he told her, his one eye unfocused under the mask. "I protect that which is mine." She could tell he was seriously injured as she managed to free herself from under him. As she did, she saw the pair responsible, coming in to finish the job off, and every bit of pain, rage, and fear boiled up into her next Cry. It lashed out, assaulting their eardrums, their bodies, and hurling them quite some distance to land in a crumpled heap. She then turned to where Slade was, realizing he had gone unconscious. It was only then that she saw the dart, and realized that he had probably been poisoned in addition to the massive bodily injuries received from the explosion.

"Oh momma, be with me right now," she whispered, pulling against the dogged determination her firebrand of a mother had possessed. It took a good bit of her strength to lift him into the jet, thankful it had escaped the damage. She glanced over the controls, and then opened communications to CHAMP. "Come in, home, I need assistance! Walk me through flying this pig we came in! Terminator is down and in need of medical assistance!"

"Copy that, Canary," came Alexi’s voice as he calmly told her which switches to flip, and how to move into powered flight. "I’ll have Doctor Fries on hand here," he promised once she got the jet up and moving.

"Dinah," Slade said weakly.

"Shut up! Don’t talk; don’t move!" She looked over her shoulder at him, even more afraid as she noted that the bleeding was slowing. She pushed the jet to its fullest speeds, only throttling back when Alexi said he had her on radar. They had prepared for a crash landing, and it came close to being one as she barely had the jet under landing speed. Others swarmed the jet, getting Slade free of the canopy even before she had unbelted.

"He wants you," Circe said, helping her move to his side as the others got him on a gurney for immediate medical aid.

"Go to Rose. I told her about you," Slade whispered. They were hurrying down the corridors, to the medical bay, and the man was turning ash gray.

"Don’t you dare leave me, Slade," she hissed, tears glistening in his eyes.

"We all have a time." His voice was stern, but his face showed the pain he was feeling. "I can only be thankful that you found me before I hit mine." His eye closed, as the medical team took him from her, directly into surgery.

`~`~`~`~`

Measured footsteps came down the hall, turning into the waiting room. The lone occupant there looked up into the somber face of Doctor Fries, and then down as her tears spilled over.

"His injuries would not have been sufficient to kill him," the doctor began. "He’s sustained far worse." The man watched the blonde woman cry in utter silence. "The dart held a poison specifically designed to counteract the serum that gave him, and you, your abilities."

"Lady Owl planned on killing me, and he wound up taking it instead," Canary whispered.

"Miss Lance," he began, causing her to look up again. "I have frozen him in the same cryogenic fluid I preserved my wife in until I could cure her illness. I operated until I was convinced it was the only way." He could see she did not fully understand in her grief. "I will find a way to cure him. There is hope." Now, he saw it sink in, just before she jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck as she sobbed in two parts grief, and one part renewed hope.

"Thank you, Fries. Thank you so very much for giving us that chance." She pulled back from him, straightening herself up.

"What will you do now?" he asked, affected by the freely given hug. So many people avoided him due to his odd looks.

"Just as he would want. I’ll go to his daughter, and then I’ll take up his cause." She drew herself up to her full height, scant though it was. "He gave me a gift, and I plan to use it fully." She turned and walked out of the room, her back straight with the weight of knowing what she must do, as she waited for her love to be reunited with her one day.

`~`~`~`~`

Dinah had not felt this much unease in a long time. Here she was a stranger in spirit, bearing the face of a woman who was among the deadliest of enemies, seeking asylum in the home of the man she loved. A man, who even now, was in cryogenic suspension until he could be cured of a poison meant for herself.

She braced herself, knocking on the door with a semblance of the resolve she needed to survive this.

"May I help you...Miss Lance?" Wintergreen asked, his eyes wary as they took her in. "Mister Luthor informed me you were on your way here.

"Yes, Mister Wintergreen, because I bring news." She swallowed against the lump in her throat, but the tears welled up nonetheless. "May I..."

"Of course." He widened the entrance, and she followed him in, stopping in her tracks to see a girl of maybe thirteen with Slade's hair, and deceptively graceful features.

"You must be Rose."

"You're Black Canary, the other Dinah Lance." Rose's eyes were full of suspicion and mistrust. "Where's my father?"

At that accusing demand, Dinah's knees weakened, and Wintergreen took her arm to steady her, guiding her over to a chair.

"We did what was needed, and tried to parlay with Raptor and Slipstream, convince them there was a better way," she began.

"Slade would. Your father, Rose, will never give up hope on that young man," Wintergreen interjected, and Dinah had just enough presence of mind to wonder at the story she had yet to learn. "Go on, Miss Lance."

"We had not reckoned on Raptor's loyalty to Lady Owl...he...placed a charge, and there was a poison dart...I was so tired." Dinah tried to keep it together, but silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and she had to look down at her hands, knotting in her lap. "Your father, Rose, moved faster than I could process. He took the dart...and then the shrapnel hit him, as he covered me."

"Daddy?!" Rose cried, horror-stricken that anything could take her father from her.

"It is my fault, Rose, and I would understand perfectly if you hate me. He is only this hurt because he protected me," Dinah whispered.

"Then he lives!" Wintergreen said, clinging to the phrasing of that, as he had gone ash-white, silently, at the news.

Dinah nodded, a little shell-shocked, but needing to tell the rest of it. "I got him back to base, and Fries was there...he went straight into surgery, but the poison was fighting them. So Fries used the cryogenics..."

"Victor Fries will never give up where Slade's life is concerned," Wintergreen assured them, both woman and child. "I know it well."

"So what now?" Rose asked softly.

"Now, Miss Rose, we take Miss Lance into the family, organize Searchers, and continue business as if your father were still at the reins." Wintergreen rose briskly and moved to enfold the child into his arms. "It may be much, to accept her into your heart just yet, but bear in mind that your father had vouched fully for her."

Rose eyed the woman across from her, and slowly nodded. Her father had a lot of enemies, and the company would need a stronger lead than she or Wintergreen were capable, due to their ages, of giving.

"Teach me?" Rose demanded of her father's lover.

Dinah shook off the deja vu of that other Rose in her other world, and nodded.

`~`~`~`~`

It was nearly a full month later before Dinah knew that Rose was not the only child of Slade's she would now be responsible for. When she told both Rose and Wintergreen, they began speaking of the various people who would gladly use that knowledge against them all.

The lesson was rammed home when Alexi showed up to tell them Jericho had escaped the prison Slade placed him in after his attempt on Dinah's life.

Wintergreen watched the other CHAMP member go, and looked at Dinah with sincere worry.

"If anyone finds out, Jericho could backtrack through bodyjumps to get here. He would gladly take revenge out on an unborn child, unfortunately."

"Then no one is to know." A little coldness seeped into Dinah's voice. "I will continue my activities until I am showing too much to disguise, and then throw myself into the desk work of his company."

"A sound plan, though I shall worry when you go out," Wintergreen told her.

`~`~`~`~`

Jericho, however, proved more canny than they had planned for. Lance was scarcely a week old when he managed to slip Searchers' net out for him and attack the manor in England.

Dinah had to call for reinforcements, being barely able to stand and that only in severe pain. She and Wintergreen and Rose held the house until the arrival of Teth Adam, and then watched as the battle turned decisively in their favor.

Only as it ended and the goon squad had been removed, Teth's pointed ears heard the sound of a baby crying. Wintergreen looked to Dinah, who broke her own code of silence, and told Teth everything.

By night's end, the boy, Lance William Wilson, was a Kahndaq citizen under a different name, and plans had been made for his schooling.

`~`~`~`~`


End file.
